U.S. Department of Education – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Evgenia Parajanian
With the approval of a new framework known as the Phoenix Declaration by the State Board of Education, Florida’s public schools will be the first to adopt a conservative educational paradigm created by the same group that wrote Project 2025.
At their Wakulla County meeting on November 13, the board approved the change. Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas, the commissioner of education for Florida, supported the framework created by the Heritage Foundation, which is well-known for its Project 2025 hard-right agenda, which has influenced controversial policies during the Trump administration.
“Fosters the pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful,” the Phoenix Declaration outlines values that should serve as a guide for educational institutions and policymakers. These values include parental choice and responsibility, transparency and accountability, truth and goodness, cultural transmission, character development, academic excellence, and citizenship.
“Ideologies shouldn’t take control.”
“I don’t know how anyone could disagree with parental choice and responsibility, curriculum transparency, academic excellence, instruction on objective truth,” Kamoutsas stated. “I think this is a great opportunity … to be the first in the nation to adopt this declaration, affirmatively communicating what we want to see in education.”
Critics contend that despite the document’s generally acceptable language, its approval will politicize Florida’s public education system. The Florida Education Association referred to it as a “political pledge” and a “political campaign disguised as a declaration.”
“Florida’s families and students deserve investment in their public schools, not a political pledge written by outside groups,” the association said in a statement.
According to Ryan Petty, chair of the State Board of Education, the Phoenix Declaration’s goals are almost universal. He expressed his hope that it would encourage people to unite in support of preserving American educational values.
“The pursuit of truth is the aim of education. Our children must comprehend certain objective facts,” Petty stated. “Ideology is not the foundation of truth. We shouldn’t let ideals take control since it is what it is.”
“Pretty words disguised as indoctrination”
The meeting was held in Crawfordville, about 30 minutes south of the Capitol in Tallahassee, and around 10 individuals showed up for public discussion. Comments ranged from those who opposed the Phoenix Declaration and raised questions about its political origins to those who supported it as a way to promote civility among young people.
The declaration “is actually the antidote to totalitarian governments taking over,” according to Crystal Marull, a parent who has voiced her disapproval of the Alachua County school board and coordinator of the University of Florida’s Online Spanish Program. It encourages being polite, stating the truth, and standing up for it.
“The fact that the Heritage Foundation wrote it, that it’s out of Project 2025 – this is indoctrination dressed up in pretty words,” retorted Dahlonega Peck of Gainesville.
What is stated in the Phoenix Declaration?
A critique of American schooling is presented at the beginning of the document.
“In this time of moral and political crises, when too many schools have lost their way, it is the responsibility of America’s parents, educators, and policymakers to recommit ourselves to the central purposes of education.”
Below is an excerpt from the list of tenets that concludes it.
Parental Decision and Accountability: “Parents are their children’s main teachers. With public education money following the child, parents should be able to select the educational settings that best suit their values and their children’s unique learning requirements.
Accountability and Transparency: “Schools have an obligation to inform parents directly about the curriculum and academic progress of their children. Misguided rules that conceal information regarding parents’ children’s mental, emotional, and physical health must never exist in schools.
Goodness and Truth: “Students should be taught that there is an objective truth that can be known.” Science education must be based on facts, not political trends.
Cultural Transmission: “Only by building upon what has been learned and accomplished in the past can real progress be made.” Therefore, it is important that students study the foundational ideas of America as well as its roots in the larger Western and Judeo-Christian traditions.
Character Development: “Education should foster the discipline and values required for self-governance. Students must be held responsible for their actions in order to maintain the order required for learning to proceed and to teach them that their decisions have consequences.
Academic Excellence: “A demanding and content-rich curriculum based on fundamental subjects like math, literature, science, history, civics, and the arts should be given top priority in schools.” Fundamental knowledge and tried-and-true pedagogy should be prioritized over trends or cutting-edge teaching strategies.
Citizenship: “A strong sense of patriotism and an appreciation for our nation and all those who work for its central institutions should be fostered in schools.” We should honor and resurrect our common civic rites, including the national anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
